John Baird — Running and Windward — Sydney, Australia — 2-18 FEB 2017

Arthouse Gallery, 66 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay

Arthouse Gallery is delighted to present a new series of paintings by Mornington Peninsula-based artist John Baird. Working across painting, collage and sculpture, John Baird has developed a unique flattened aesthetic that explores how slippages between utilitarianism and decoration embed everyday objects. Scouring demolition sites for material remnants of past lives – wallpaper, fabric and flocking – the artist laces his paintings with these revenant fragments to create allegorical narratives, or what he terms ‘a coded diary lurking behind each work.’ With a lingering aura of nostalgia, the sail boat, the dressing table or the floral arrangement are elevated from the commonplace. By consciously conflating foreground and background, Baird forges a surreality that adds a dream-like dimension to his constructed spaces, enkindling our memories and inspiring our imaginations.